Burn out: a health and safety issue!

Inside this issue...

-    11 warning signs of burnout to watch out for in your employees
-    7 strategies to combat burnout

Dear reader,

This is your last health and safety bulletin until next year. I’m taking some well-deserved time off to spend with my nearest and dearest, and hope you’ll be doing the same. As always, please drive carefully if you’re travelling around the country for your holiday. Last week’s two horrific accidents (including the one involving 10 people burning to death after a truck and bus collided on Moloto Road) serve to remind us that we should always be vigilant.

There’s no doubt we’re all in need of a holiday. This was a tough year for most people. In fact, chances are, you and your employees may be feeling a little burnt out, especially if you didn’t take any downtime throughout the year.

I read a very interesting article on the subject on IOL. co.za recently…

Burn out: a health and safety issue!

Burnout is generally long-term exhaustion and diminished interest in life. Work-related problems are the main cause of burnout. In Europe, the problem is so common, they’ve included work stress and burnout in their occupational health and safety standards.

11 warning signs of burnout to watch out for in your employees

Psychologists Freudenberger and North say that there are sure-fire ways to watch out for burnout amongst your staff. So, before one of them “goes postal”, keep a beady eye open for any of the following…

1. A compulsion to prove themselves
2. Working harder
3. Neglecting their own needs
4. Displacement of conflicts (they don’t realize the cause of their distress)
5. Revision of values (they completely dismiss friends or hobbies)
6. Denying emerging problems (being cynical and aggressive)
7. Withdrawing (becoming less sociable, closing themselves off, developing a dependency on alcohol or drugs)
8. Their behaviour becomes noticeably different to you and their colleagues
9. Inner emptiness (this is tricky to detect but take care to monitor your employees’ moods)
10. Showing signs of depression
11. Burnout syndrome (a lack of job motivation, health problems)

But, there’s hope for you and your employees! Just consider any of the following strategies, and you’re sure to alleviate the problem significantly…

7 strategies to combat burnout

1. Establish an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): this will help employees deal with primary causes of stress. It usually includes counseling and psychological services.
2. Offer Stress Management Training (SMT): This will help employees work through stress or manage their stress levels more effectively.
3. Encourage employees to properly focus and deal with the causes of their stress. If this is related to work issues, allow them the security to air their concerns and objections without fear of retaliation.
4. Encourage staff to support one another.
5. Encourage employees to take leave regularly. This doesn’t mean taking expensive holidays. They can spend time at home, but they need time away from the office.
6. Tell your employees to switch off their phones or swop their SIM cards when they’re away so they’re not tempted to correspond on any work matters
7. Establish and encourage a good work-life balance. Make sure your employees spend time with their families, and don’t encourage working on weekends unless it’s in exceptional circumstances (e.g. a very tight deadline)

In the name of safety, and a wonderful festive season to you!

Christel Fouché
Editor-In-Chief: Health and Safety Advisor